ROANOKE TIMES Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times DATE: Sunday, December 10, 1995 TAG: 9512290107 SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C11 EDITION: METRO DATELINE: SAN DIEGO SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
The running career of Trish Nervo reached new heights Saturday in a day that left the Glenvar High School senior from Salem in shock.
Nervo finished fourth in the Foot Locker national cross country championship in a time of 17 minutes, 35.7 seconds. It was a day, Nervo said, that might help her attain her most ardent wish of winning a scholarship to Stanford University.
Nervo was hoping to make the top 20 in this race after finishing third in the South Region. In finishing fourth, Nervo far outdistanced South Region winner Jessica Koch of Round Rock, Texas, who was 23rd in a time of 18:44.9. She also beat South Region runner-up Kyla Barbour from Roswell, Ga., who was seventh in a time of 17:47.9.
So is Stanford the next stop for Nervo?
``I hope so. My dream is to go to Stanford,'' she said. ``I wasn't going to apply. I didn't think they'd give me a scholarship with my ranking [before Saturday]. They usually take just the top runners in this race. Like they have last year's second- and third-place girls from this race.
``This is what I've worked so hard for [the past four years]. It's definitely the supreme moment of my career. I couldn't ask for any more. I was shocked. I'm still in shock. No one expected this. Not my coaches, not my family.''
This is the final high school cross country event for Nervo, who has dominated Timesland and state running for four years. Nervo won four consecutive Metro titles and each time set a new record. She also won the Group A title four years, and for the past two years her times in that event have been among the fastest for any classification in the state.
Last year, Nervo qualified for the Foot Locker nationals where she placed 29th as a junior. Nervo usually performs best when there is a lot on the line. Her only slump came in her sophomore year during the track season, when injuries kept her from dominating the Group A meet.
Kim Mortenson of Thousand Oakes, Calif., finished first Saturday in 17:12.4, a little more than 23 seconds ahead of Nervo. Amy Yoder (17:28.1) of Kendallville, Ind., and Katy Radkewish (17:33.0) of Hudson, Ohio, were barely ahead of Nervo at the finish.
``I don't think I could ever have caught the first-place runner,'' Nervo said. ``I felt great the whole first mile. Totally relaxed.
``In the very beginning, I was right up with the pack. Then I fell back to 10th place, hung back there for a while and slowly moved up. We were all close together. There was a girl close to me at the finish, though I had plenty of yards on her.''
Abudul Alzindani of Dearborn, Mich., was the national winner for the boys' event in a time of 15:12.4.
LENGTH: Medium: 56 linesby CNB